Tang You, confident in her aunt’s cooking, blinked eagerly and asked, “Is it good?”

Zhou Qinyao thought for a moment, “Yeah, not bad.”

Just as he finished speaking, Tang You poured another cup and held it up to him:

“Whoo… Whoo…”

Zhou Qinyao was taken aback by her swift action. “What are you doing?”

“Since you said it’s good, I’ll help you blow on it. My aunt says you need to finish the whole thermos to sweat it out.”

“…”

In the eastern wing of the house, under the dim white light, Tang You’s eyes were full of warmth and sincerity, her voice soft and impossible to refuse:

“Here, it’s cooled down now.”

“…”

Who knows how Zhou Qinyao ended up with his eyes closed, willingly drinking cup after cup of the chicken soup, convinced by her coaxing.

He drank it for three days straight.

Tang You said that this special formula required three days for a course of treatment. To ensure the effect, she came to deliver soup every day after school until Zhou Qinyao recovered.

Whether it was the effort of delivering the soup or the efficacy of the special chicken soup, Zhou Qinyao’s cold improved rapidly.

Moreover, their relationship subtly grew closer due to this unexpected event.

A week passed quickly.

Every Sunday, the school had an afternoon off. On Saturday evening after school, Cheng Xuan found Tang You and asked:

“Are you coming tomorrow? I need to count heads.”

Tang You had forgotten about the autumn outing because she was so focused on supervising Zhou Qinyao drinking soup. However, since her friend’s frequent outings had made Aunt Rong suspicious, she wanted to stay home for a few days now that Zhou Qinyao had recovered.

But then Cheng Xuan said, “There will be quite a few people this time. Even if Yao-ge has recovered, he’s bringing Xiao Yang along. Hey, are you coming or not?”

Just as she was about to refuse, the mention of a certain name made Tang You pause.

He would be going too?

Would that mean they could meet again?

Tang You’s heart raced, and fearing that Cheng Xuan might notice her sudden excitement, she answered calmly:

“Okay, I’ll come.”

On Sunday, the city, which had been gloomy for half a month, finally saw warm sunshine, lifting everyone’s spirits.

The autumn outing was at Beihu Park, not far behind Huai Tree Street.

The plan was to leave at 1 PM, and some eager people had already set off early.

As the leader of the autumn outing group, Cheng Xuan used her family’s delivery van to transport a full load of food and drinks, and even took along a few younger kids.

She had reserved a spot for Tang You, but a kid who had previously said they were unavailable showed up at the last minute, taking that spot.

By the time Tang You arrived, there was no room left in the van.

Cheng Xuan was a bit embarrassed and told Tang You, “Why don’t you wait here? I’ll drop off Xiao Yang and the others first, then come back to pick you up.”

As Tang You was about to say she could walk over, a powerful engine noise suddenly came from behind.

Both girls turned to look.

Zhou Qinyao rode out of the alley on his motorcycle, dressed in black and exuding a cold aura that sliced through the autumn sun, finally stopping in front of Cheng Xuan’s shop.

He got off the bike and, as usual, bought a pack of cigarettes.

Tang You, feeling inexplicably guilty, lowered her head and pretended to look elsewhere.

Cheng Xuan, however, seemed to remember something and moved closer to Zhou Qinyao with a flattering smile:

“Yao-ge, are you alone?”

Zhou Qinyao responded with a puzzled look.

Cheng Xuan pushed Tang You toward him, “Could you give You a ride? There’s no more room in my car.”

Tang You was startled, her heart racing as she cast several anxious glances toward Cheng Xuan, signaling “No need” and “Isn’t this inappropriate?”

But Cheng Xuan seemed oblivious to her signals and patted her shoulder reassuringly, “It’s fine, Yao-ge drives very steadily.”

Without waiting for Zhou Qinyao to respond, Cheng Xuan turned away and said:

“Please, Yao-ge! I’m taking the little ones over first.”

“Xuan—”

Tang You was at a loss for words, watching Cheng Xuan leave her behind and get into the van, which quickly disappeared down the alley.

…

Outside the small shop, a lazy stray dog was lounging in the sun, occasionally glancing at Tang You with an almost theatrical expression.

Tang You swallowed nervously, her heart pounding, and her face flushing with warmth.

“…I’m sorry to trouble you again.”

Zhou Qinyao, half-seated on the bike, let the sunlight fall on his face and, after a few seconds, lazily smiled, “It’s no trouble.”

He stood up, retrieved something from the bike, and walked over to Tang You, saying, “Look up.”

Tang You blinked in surprise and looked up.

A gentle breeze brushed her face, stirring her hair, and the sunlight cast a fan-shaped shadow from her long, fluttering eyelashes.

Her clear eyes blinked innocently, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Qinyao’s heart skipped a beat.

His gaze fell downward, his voice low and slightly rough, “Make sure you wear this.”

Tang You looked down to see he was handing her a cartoon helmet.

“This is Xiao Yang’s. You’ll have to make do with it for now.”

“…Alright.”

Tang You took the helmet and put it on, adorned with a “Pleasant Goat” design.

Though the helmet was a bit small, it fit well enough. However, she struggled for a while with the two straps, unable to fasten them properly.

In this position, she couldn’t see well.

Just as she was about to take it off to figure out the straps, Zhou Qinyao’s hand suddenly reached over.

Standing close in front of her, blocking out all the light, Tang You could smell the subtle scent of his body wash—light, fresh, and crisp.

Zhou Qinyao was wearing a military green flight jacket with a black t-shirt featuring English text underneath. A silver chain hung from his neck, moving with his every motion.

Time seemed to stand still.

He adjusted the straps carefully, his fingers occasionally brushing her chin.

The barely-there touches felt like electric shocks coursing through Tang You’s entire body.

Such warmth, even if unintentional, was irresistibly compelling.

And indeed, she couldn’t resist it.

For a moment, Tang You could only hear the rapid pounding of her heart. It felt like an eternity before she was jolted back to reality by the crisp sound of the buckle snapping shut.

—Clink.

Zhou Qinyao’s voice almost simultaneously followed in a low, gentle murmur by her ear:

“Is this okay?”